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Launch of Year of Celebrating Social Service Professionals, New Sector Awards Unveiled

Type: Announcements, Press Releases, All

Topic(s):

Social Service Professionals, All


1. At the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) Social Service Tribe Forum, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli launched the Year of Celebrating Social Service Professionals to recognise and celebrate their contributions. He also unveiled a series of new sector-wide awards to acknowledge social service professionals at the national level.  

2. The Year of Celebrating Social Service Professionals honours the invaluable contributions of over 20,000 sector professionals who work tirelessly to uplift those in need and empower families and communities. This builds on the Year of Celebrating Social Service Partners in 2023 and the Year of Celebrating Social Service Volunteers in 2024.

New Sector Awards for Social Service Professionals


3. A new series of sector awards to acknowledge a wide range of professionals, including social workers, youth workers, counsellors, therapists, psychologists, and care and corporate staff has been launched. The awards comprise four categories, namely the President’s Award, Excellence Award, Merit Award and Excellence Team Award. This move elevates the recognition given to the sector’s diverse social service workforce.

4. The President’s Award for Social Service Professionals will be the highest accolade for those who have demonstrated outstanding qualities and made exceptional contributions to the sector. The Excellence Team Award will recognise outstanding cross-profession and team-based efforts in service delivery, encouraging collaboration across the sector. Nominations for the awards will open on 3 February 2025. The awards will be given out in the latter half of 2025.

Strengthening Social Service Workforce through Skills Training and Career Development

5. As part of continuing efforts to build a strong social service workforce, MSF and NCSS have been rolling out initiatives such as a competitive Skills and Salary guidelines to attract and retain talent in the sector. Platforms such as the Social Service Tribe Forum provide professionals with opportunities to learn and exchange insights. Training grants are also available to sector professionals to upgrade their skills at the Social Service Institute and other institutes of higher learning. To boost employee engagement within the sector and support social service agencies to enhance their people practices, NCSS launched the first centralised Employee Engagement Survey for SSAs to participate in over a three-year period. The survey findings will provide sector-wide benchmarks and insights into areas for improvement.

6. “The Year of Celebrating Social Service Professionals and the new sector awards mark a significant milestone in recognising the heart of our social service sector. We are not just acknowledging contributions but also investing in the future of social service in Singapore, to build a strong and skilled workforce that can meet evolving social needs. This celebration also highlights the meaningful impact of a social service career, and is a call for more to join us to transform lives of individuals and families in need.” said Ms Tan Li San, Chief Executive Officer of NCSS.

ISSUED BY
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE


About the National Council of Social Service (NCSS)
 

NCSS is the umbrella body for over 500 member social service agencies in Singapore. Its mission is to provide leadership and direction in enhancing the capabilities and capacity of our members, advocating for social service needs, and strengthening strategic partnerships, for an effective social service ecosystem. Community Chest and Social Service Institute (SSI) are part of NCSS. For more information visit
www.ncss.gov.sg.